Shirt cuff and method and apparatus for making it



29, 1935. E. v. TOLEN ET AL 2,019,104

SHIRT CUFF AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING IT Filed March 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 29, 1935. v TOLEN ET AL 2,019,104

SHIRT CUFF AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING IT Filed March 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j 20 I. J7 (fd'jz (/gjle z/ 3 A220 M Ma 71 Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIRT CUFF AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING IT ApplicationMarch 18, 1933, Serial No.6.61,477

3Claims. (01.2-123) Our invention rela-tesito shirt cuffs and method and apparatus for making them. It is especially concerned with that type of cuff using two pliesan inner ,ply and an outer ply, whether or not an intermediate reinforcing ply is used.

One feature of our invention is a simplified construction and method where but one stitching which may be single, double or even triple) may be formed, preferably by .a continuous operation,

about the perimeterof the cuff .and'thereby'secure all plies of the cuff together and secure the :cuff to the shirt sleeve, without the necessity of any other securement.

Our inventionalso embraces improved guide at- }.5 tachments for .the sewingmachine for effecting this method and construction.

The foregoing together with further objects, features and advantages of our invention are set forth in the following description of the specific g0 embodiments thereof and illustrated :in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

.Fig. lis a plan view of 'therespective plies of :a threeeply culf as delivered .bya folding :machine which .foldsback and creases the margins of the .Fig. 2 is a plan section @of ;a sewing machine taken on aplane slightlyabove the table omitting the parts not directly concerned with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the start of the stitching securing the plies together and to the sleeve;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary views-similar to Fig. -3 but showing the line :of stitchingas it progresses across the various sides :oi the cuff;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary vertical section which may be considered as \takenon "the line l l 10f 'Fig. 2 and showing the presser foot and needle in side elevation;

:Fig. 8 is a somewhat similar vertical section taken on theline 8-8 of Fig. '3 and looking toward .the needle, with part of the presser foot'in cross section;

Fig.9 is a view :similar .to Fig. 8 but taken on the line 59-9 of Fig. 3 forwardly of the plane of the section of Fig.8; and

Fig. 10 isatransverse section through the completed cuff assembly.

Referring first to the finished product by reference to the transverse section thereof in Fig. 10, the cuff 15, to be sewn along the outer end of the sleeve 16, comprises the' inner fa'bric ply 1, the outer fabric ply l8 and an-interme'diate 'reinforcing-ply of stiff-Lbuc-kram l9. The-margins ll, l8 and 19' of the several plies are folded inoperationof the sewingmachine.

end for end and theouter ply ll placed upon it with the margins aligned and with the end of the sleeve l3 extending between the sleeve ends of the folded margins H and [8.

The first reach 20a of a line ofstitching 201s 15 then.-formed,-as shown .in'Fig. 3, along the sleeve edge of the cuff. We have shown a single needle sewing machine, although we contemplate that a double or triple ,needle sewing machine can be used, depending, of course, on whether a single, 20 double or triple stitching is desired. Inany case, there is but one line of stitching, that is, asingle By guide means which will later be described, the sleeve edge [8a of the upper ply is held in alignment with the 25 sleeve edge Ila of the lower ply, and ,the .operator guides the end edge 16a .of the sleeve :to maintain .a substantially even overlap of'the cuff relative to the sleeve. I

In forming the reach 2.011 of the stitching, the 30 operator, if the garment is so-sstyled, introduces the necessary puckering .of the end of the sleeve relative to the cuff. When'the opposite .cornerof the sleeve edge of the cuff is reached, the assembly is rotated clockwise through .90", as shown in Fig.

290 along the cuff edge I50 and along the ply edges He and 1.80 to the next corner.

Then theassembly is rotated throughl'a third 45 .fromthe position .of Fig.5 to that of Fig. 6, where the stitching 2 0 is continued as :the reach :Z-fidthrough the end edges illd and |8d of the plies,

the line of stitching 2i! terminating substantially .at the point wheresit began. 60

Referring :now to the apparatus by which this construction and method are effected, we have omitted showing much .of the sewing machine which is not directly concerned with .our inven- :tion,-such as the operating mechanism, the lower 6,5

feed dog, and the like. The needle 25 works through a hole or slot 26 (Fig. 8) in the presser foot 21 which has the usual upturned toe 28. The foot is forwardly bifurcated by a cut 29 in which is disposed a vertical guide 30 having a suitably rounded front end and a resilent supporting finger 3| attached at 32 to the presser foot or its support. structurally, the vertical guide 30 and the finger 3| may be stamped from a single sheet of spring steel bent at right angles as at 33,.so that the guide 39 is primarily in a vertical plane and the finger 3| primarily in a horizontal plane.

The important functions of guide 30 are first that it forms a lateral abutment right-facing in Figs. 8 and 9, for the edge of the upper ply, and second thatit be resiliently mounted so that when the presser foot comes down against the table 34 of the sewing machine, the guide may give vertically as necessary while still continuing to press downwardly. When stitching the sleeve edge I50; of the cuff, where reach 20a of the stitching includes the end of the sleeve, the lower edge of g the guide 30 will ride upon the sleeve. In stitching the other three edges, lb, I50 and l5d of the cuff, where the sleeve is not included in the stitching, the lower edge of the guide 30 contacts the table 34 directly. In the latter instance, the guide 30 forms a right facing abutment for the adjacent edge of the lower ply as well as for that of the upper ply. As an auxiliary guide for the adjacent edge of the under ply under the latter circumstance, and as a primary guide for the adjacent edge of the under ply under the former circumstancethat is, when the sleeve extends between the two-ply edges when stitching the sleeve edge |5a of the cuffwe provide another guide 35, which we term a table guide as distinguished from the presser foot guide 30. The table guide may conveniently be in the form of a rectangular plate having one corner cut away to provide clearance around the presser foot and secured to the table 34 and affording at one edge a right facing abutment 35. The plate 35 may be of relatively thin metal stock and removably secured to the table by screws so that it may be removed when work of another character is to be done on the machine. Incidentally, the presser foot guide 33 may be removed by unscrewing its retaining screw 32, in which event the presser foot will function in the usual manner for ordinary work.

The guiding abutment 35' of theguide plate .35 is disposed forwardly of the sewing needle and slightly to the side of the line of feed passing through the needle, depending upon how far in from the edge the stitching is to come. The guide face 35 is also in alignment with the guiding face of the presser foot guide 38. By holding both the upper and lower ply of the collar band with their edges being sewn in contact with the respective guides 30 and 35, the operator is enabled to keep the edges in alignment--that is, without one protruding laterally beyond the other-whether or not the side is one where the sleeve extends out from between the plies.

By our invention, the plies of the cuff at the .sleeve edge I5a are simultaneously secured together and to the end of the sleeve by the one reach of stitching 20a, and this is the only securement there is or need be either to hold the plies of the cuff together at that edge or to hold any part of the cuff to the end of the sleeve. This eliminates the customary operation of first sewing one ply of the cuff to the end of the sleeve with the ply and the sleeve end oneabove the other and on the same side of the needle, and after that preliminary stitching, reversing the seam thus formed and running a second stitching across the edge to secure the other ply to the sleeve and to the first ply. 5

Because the guides 30 and 35 align the sleeve edges Ila and We of the respective plies, and as the folding machine delivers the two plies quite accurately of the same width, it follows that after the first reach of stitching 20a has been formed by our apparatus, the opposite edges He and 180 of the respective plies are also aligned without one protruding beyond the other. For this reason we are able successfully to sew the outer edge [50 of the cuff after we sew the sleeve 5 edge. In fact, we are enabled to sew together the sleeve edges of the plies of the cuff and also sew them to the sleeve in a single reachof a soleand initial stitching operation, and thereafter to continue the line of stitching successively along each of the other three edges.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: V

1. The method of attaching a two ply cuff to the end of a sleeve having greater initial width than the length of the cuff, which consists in preforming inturned marginal flanges on an inner and an outer ply, guiding the sleeve margins of the respective cuff plies in alignment, with their adjacent margins facing, and with the end of the sleeve extending therebetween and, while the sleeve is otherwise unattached to either ply along the end of the sleeve, forming a line of stitching along the sleeve edge of the cuff and passing through the outer ply, its inturned inner margin, the end of the sleeve, the inturned margin of the inner ply, and theinner ply, with the stitching exposed on both faces of the cuff, and gathering the sleeve as the line of stitching is formed to bring the edges of the sleeve into alignment with 40 the ends of the cuff, and thereafter, while the plies are unattached to the sleeve save for the first-mentioned stitching, and as a continuation of the same stitching, stitching one end, then the opposite edge and then the other end of the plies together by stitching extending through the outer ply, its inturned margin, the inturned margin of the inner ply, and the inner ply, with the last mentioned stitching exposed on both faces .of the cuff, and said stitching constituting the sole sewn securement of the plies to each other and to the sleeve.

2. The method of attaching a two ply. cuff to the end of a sleeve having greater initial width than the length. of the cuff, which consists in pref orming inturned marginal flanges on an inner and an outer ply, guiding the sleeve margins of the respective cuff plies in alignment, with their adjacent margins facing, and with the end of the sleeve extending therebetween and, while the sleeve is otherwise unattached to either ply along the end of the sleeve, forming a line of stitching 'along the sleeve edge of the cuff and passing through the outer ply, its inturned inner margin, the end of the sleeve, the inturned margin of the 55 inner ply, and the inner ply, with the stitching exposed on both faces of the cuff, and gathering the sleeve as the line of stitching is formed to bring the edges of the sleeve into alignment with the ends of the cuff. 1o

3. The method of attaching a two ply cuff to the end of a sleeve having greater initial width than the length of the cuff, which consists in preforming inturned marginal flanges on an inner and an outer ply, superposing the plies with 1 I their inturned flanges facing, and securing the plies together by a continuous line of stitching run along the several sides of the cuff serially and extending through the outer ply, its inturned margin, the inturned margin of the inner ply, and the inner ply, with the last mentioned stitching exposed on both faces of the cuff, and said stitching constituting the sole sewn securement of the plies to each other and to the sleeve, said stitching operation, as performed along the sleeve edge of the cuff, consisting of guiding the sleeve margins of the respective cuff plies in alignment, with their adjacent margins facing, and with the formed to bring the edges of the sleeve into align- 10 ment with the ends of the cufi.

EARL V. TOLEN. CHARLES B. HARBS'I'REIT. 

